Obituary
Marilyn Deanna (Small) Halvorsen
Marilyn Deanna (Small) Halvorsen, age 81, passed away peacefully at her daughter Heidi’s residence in Bangor on Friday, June 27, 2025. At times her strong will & determination frustrated her daughters while “raising their mom” since she behaved like a rebellious teenager, but it was that tenacity that helped her battle severe heart failure.
About 2 weeks prior to her passing, Marilyn was able to visit her former lake home in Barnes, WI, where her daughter Kara & son-in-law Scott currently reside. Her daughter Heidi came along on the trip, packing up the vehicle with all of the necessary equipment to keep Marilyn comfortable, including her emotional support dog & constant companion, Max. Before her visit, Marilyn shared that she hoped to sit on the deck, enjoy the lake view, and listen to the loons. She enjoyed reliving memories by sharing stories of her & Al’s time living on the lake from the time they had the cabin to when they built and resided in the lake home -stories of boating/sailing on the lake, canoeing the nearby Brule River, bears on the deck & in the garage, listening to loons, trumpeter swans, whippoorwills, and other wild life experiences. She once claimed seeing a mountain lion/cougar streaking across the property, noting it was a large cat with a long tail, so it was not likely a bobcat.
Marilyn was preceded in death by her parents, LeRoy & Beulah (Ball) Small, her former husband Ronald I. Stone, her husband Alan S. Halvorsen, 6 of her siblings: Martha, Edna, Virginia, Robert (Bob), Jeanette & Judith (Judy), her half-brother LeRoy Jr, and her son by marriage Ronald (Reed) Stone.
Marilyn is survived by her daughters, Kara (Scott) Pelowski & Heidi Schiefelbein, son by marriage Mark Stone, daughters by marriage RavenWind & Evergreen Susan (Paul) Amundson, and grandchildren Adam & Nickolas Pelowski and Rayna Schiefelbein. She was one of 9 children, survived by her younger sister Cheryl (James) Drangstveit and older brother Phillip Small.
Marilyn’s family is forever grateful for the compassionate & loving care provided by the caregivers from Mayo Medical Hospice during her final stages of life, a time period of 6 months.
The family requests donations to the Northwoods Humane Society in Hayward, WI in lieu of flowers. For online donations, please follow this link: https://northwoodshumanesociety.org/donations/
A Celebration of Life luncheon will be held Saturday, August 9, 2025, at The Gathering Place, 133 Mason Street, Onalaska, WI 54650, from 1-3 pm. Her graveside committal at Halfway Creek Cemetery in Holmen where she will lay at rest with her husband Al, will be private for immediate family.
Condolences may be made to the family by visiting CouleeCremation.com.
I am so very sorry for your loss. Prayers
Kara, Heidi & families, my condolences to you. Marilyn was such a special lady and will be dearly missed. Rest in peace my dear friend.
Kara, Heidi, family and Max. Marilyn was the best. Marilyn and I both worked together at the Insurance Center. I met your mom and she wanted me to go look for the Oktoberfest Medallion with her. I told her no. She kept after me saying how could I just sit there when we should be out looking for the medallion. I finally gave in and said I would go 1 time. Well, Marilyn and I had so much fun. We would call each other in the middle of the night with thoughts about where it would be. We laughed so hard . We found the medallion in 1984 at UWL. We went to the car and locked the doors afraid someone was going to take it away from us. I was so lucky to have met your mom. Thinking back I can still smile and break out laughing at things your mom would say and do. I am so sorry for the loss you are going through. Love, Lynette
Kara, Heidi, and families. We are so very sorry for your loss. Our condolences to you and yours. Sending prayers, peace, and blessings. 🙏🏻✨🕊️💫💜
Love,
Dawn Senya and Son Ishaun